Flowers for Shadow
A/N: Title's based on "Flowers for Algernon" some book I remember reading in 8th grade. Something ft. Cream and Shadow. Cute, short, sweet. This was written a while ago so it's a few weeks old. Lol, yes, Shadow's addressed as "old hedgehog" in this since it's few weeks older.
The old hedgehog stood on the hill watching the young rabbit pick flowers in the patch below it, the aroma from them giving him a calm mind. His arms were folded over his chest and he didn't move even when a leave fell on his quills only to be blown away by the breeze. He was waiting for the torture to start—when Sonic whom the young rabbit invited would zoom up from nowhere and join them in their flower picking. Shadow wanted to rig Sonic's neck whenever he seen him and wanted to shove a Chaos Spear up his blue rump. Thoughts like that amused Shadow. He enjoyed envisioning pain on his blue counterpart.
"Mr. Shadow!" His sadistic thoughts were broken when Cream called him. He looks up with a scowl, he didn't intend to look nasty at her.
"Yes Dearheart?" He asked.
"Look Mr. Shadow!" Cream uses her oversized ears to flap up to him and she shows him the flower in her hand. "It's a daffodil!"
Shadow takes the flower from her and inspects it. It was flower humans made wishes on; or so he was told by Cream once before. It was cute—a word Shadow would never dare say aloud.
"You should make a wish Mr. Shadow!" Cream squealed. Shadow looks at her and back at the flower.
"I don't know what to wish for." Shadow says. Cream gives a sad look.
"I can make a wish for you Mr. Shadow!" Cream suddenly piles up and the older hedgehog raises an eyebrow. He hands her back the flower and she whispers something before blowing the flower and it's delicate petals blew off into the wind. Shadow looks up at the petals and back at Cream. He wondered what she wished for.
"What did you wish for Dearheart?" Shadow asks her solemnly. She giggles as she takes his hands from their folded position and squeezes them as tight as she could.
"I wished for you and I to be best friends forever Mr. Shadow." Cream said with a smile. Shadow looks at her for a moment, processing the young rabbit's words. She liked him so much that she'd want to spend her life with him as his best friend. Hearing her say that touched his heart.
"Mr. Shadow?" Cream grew worried when she seen Shadow faze out. She saw the corners of his eyes grew watery and saw him look down at her.
"Dearheart I—" Shadow choked on tears of happiness. Cream smiles up at him and gives him a hug.
"I love you Mr. Shadow. You're the bestest friend I've ever had." Cream says muffled in his chest. Shadow hugged her back tightly, the tears broke free and he sobbed. She's the sweetest thing he'd ever known. Wishing to be his friend even though he was chronologically decades older than her—old enough to be her grandfather even—she chose to be by his side.
Sonic made it to the field as he promised Cream. He scanned the area until he spotted Cream and Shadow hugging. He grew worried, acknowledging that Shadow was in tears.
"Cream? Shadow?" Sonic asked once he was closer. Shadow stiffened when he heard Sonic's voice and grew defensive, growling even as he held Cream tight.
"Go somewhere Sonic." Shadow growled.
"Oh! Mr. Sonic!" Cream was happy to see the blue hedgehog but when she tried to run and hug him Shadow tightened his grip on her.
"What's wrong Shadow?" Sonic asked.
"N-Nothing. Cream just...did something really sweet for me and...I grew emotional. Leave me alone you blue idiot." Shadow grumbles as he wipes his eyes. He feels the rabbit kiss his cheek before getting her chance to hug Sonic. He chuckled as he rubbed her head.
"I told Mr. Shadow that I wish for me and him to be best friends forever." Cream tells Sonic. "I guess he was really touched by that; that's why he cried." Cream told Sonic. He smiled a her, kneeling down to her level.
"Well, that was a beautiful wish you've made Cream. Shadow deserves to be happy like everyone else in this world." He taps her nose and she giggles. "He's lucky to have a friend like you."
Cream hugs him before they went up to Shadow whom folded his arms in defense. Of all people Sonic was the last person he needed to cry in front of. He accepts Cream's hug and allows Sonic to do the same, a warm feeling rose in the old hedgehog's chest as he found himself snaking his arms around both Sonic and Cream, their warmth relaxing him.
"Can we pick flowers now?" Sonic asked.
"Of course Mr. Sonic." Cream answers him. She looked up at Shadow. "Do you want to pick flowers with us Mr. Shadow?"
He looks at her, a small smile on his snout.
"Of course Dearheart." Shadow rasps and the rabbit gently takes the two hedgehogs' hands and they pick flowers together happily.
X-X-X-X
It was late in the afternoon and the three laid in the field looking up at the clouds. Cream laid between the two hedgehogs, mostly interacting with Sonic in terms of saying what clouds shaped like.
"That one looks like a chili dog." Sonic pointed to a cloud that was long. Cream giggles.
"Oh! That one looks like a heart!" Cream adds. Shadow scoffs. The clouds looked like nothing to him. He thought about how many times he'd sneezed from daffodil petals tickling his nose when Cream and Sonic went blowing on them. Shadow simply kept silent as he watched Sonic take a flower from his bunch and sniffed it like he was gonna get high off of it. Cream laughs at him as Shadow rolls his eyes.
He's being silly with her as usual. He smiles then looks at Cream who sniffs it as well. She admired the scent and when Sonic tried to get Shadow to sniff it he swatted the hedgehog's hand away.
"Get that thing away from me." He growls.
"Shadow! Not in front of Cream!" Sonic scolds.
"I'd shove that flower up where the sun doesn't shine. Perhaps your butt'll smell better." Shadow chuckles at what he just said. Cream laughs and eventually Sonic did once he seen the rabbit do so. Because of Shadow's chuckle, Sonic realized the hedgehog was actually teasing him instead of insulting him like he always did.
The trio continued laying in the grass afterwards, enjoying the sights and smells around them. It wasn't long until the three fell asleep, both hedgehogs slept facing the rabbit encasing her with their warmth as they slept peacefully.
Cream woke up, sitting up and rubbing at her eyes as she smiled at the two hedgehogs on both sides of her. Sonic snores and Shadow was silent as they slept on their sides. The rabbit gently pecks their cheeks affectionately before laying back down.
X-X-X-X
It was dusk when the trio woke up. Sonic hugged Cream and nudged Shadow in the ribcage before speeding off to his house, leaving Shadow to take the rabbit home. He did so, waving goodbye and teleporting to his residence to continue sleeping in bed.
When he woke up, he found himself holding the flower he had picked and instantly thought of the rabbit and her sweetness. Thinking of her wish to be with him forever made a tear roll down his tan cheek. It touched him—something that seemed almost impossible for the old hedgehog to feel. The poor young rabbit didn't knew what she'd get herself into if she clanged to him throughout her life. What pained Shadow the most was that he'd see and most likely bury her when she's reached her elder years; he'd bury everyone and would still look how he looks now.
He wiped at his eyes. He'd be alone for eternity. He it made him wish he'd died when he and Sonic fought the Biolizard on the ARK. Then again, he was glad that he lived, because he met the little rabbit and she made his heart grow three sizes over time. He appreciated Cream. And he appreciated being her best friend.
A/N: Well, I finally finished this weeks-old fic lol. Meant to finish this but now I did. Hope y'all enjoyed this because the fic's won't stop coming. Until then, be safe out there.